For the third consecutive year the South Shore (Town) was victorious over the North Shore (Country) at Red Bull Rivals, a surf contest at Sandy Beach on Saturday, October 22. The South Shore’s Isaiah Moniz, 17, was named MVP of the event. “I feel good. There’s a bunch of good surfers and I’m psyched,” said Isaiah who is the son of legendary professional surfer Tony Moniz. “We’ve got a stacked team and it just goes our way every time.”

Judges rewarded competitors in the man-on-man heats for high performance surfing in the windy, two to four foot wave face heights. Town prevailed over Country with 12 heat wins to 8. “Just a lot of luck to be honest,” said South Shore team captain Jun Jo of how they won. “Everyone is really good [surfers]. It’s the best of Hawaii from the north and south shore so (the Town team) just got better waves and a bit of luck with guys falling and what not.”

Teams were comprised of 12 surfers, with one grommet (young surfer) and one female on each squad. A one-month, online voting campaign lets the public choose the team members, earning the most popular surfers a spot on each team. The losing team of Red Bull Rivals gives up their surfboards to the winners. According to Jun Jo, the South Shore’s third consecutive win was an “awesome” experience and the victors’ spoils were donated to a good cause.“The losing team gives up their boards and what we’re going to do is give it to the Surfrider Foundation to auction off,” explained Jun Jo. “Surfrider Foundation is an integral part of the surf community they protect us from environmental, political and social problems.”

This surf contest further cultivates a deep seeded rivalry between Country and Town surfers. The Red Bull Rivals is also a social event that brings together wave riders for a good time on the east side of Oahu says North Shore team captain Jamie O’ Brien. Nearly a thousand people came to Sandy Beach for the event and were treated to the sounds of DJ Eskae, the contest and a brilliant display of aerial surfing. A sandbar on the inside of Half Point provided a right-breaking launch ramp for the competitors. Although Jamie O’Brien would have preferred bigger waves for the Red Bull Rivals he still found the surf at Sandy Beach ideal for above the lip maneuvers. Despite an overall team loss, Jamie O’Brien still managed to beat Sandy Beach local Kekoa Cazimero in their one-on-one matchup.

“I got him good. I thought it was funny that he picked me to surf against. It was cool though. He surfs good out there so it keeps me on my toes,” said O’Brien. “It was 1- to 2-foot slop, but kind of bowling so it makes for good air sections.” O’Brien is already looking forward to the 2013 Red Bull Rivals, which is tentatively planned for the North Shore.
About Red Bull Rivals
Red Bull Rivals is a one-day surf event pitting Oahu’s legendary shores, North Shore and South Shore, against each other. Top surfers from each shore battled it out in a head-to-head surf competition for ultimate island bragging rights. To keep things fair, the event was again held on the Eastside of Oahu at Sandy Beach, which is neutral territory and will be the last year at this location. Before the Red Bull Rivals 2009 competition, no surf event had been held at this popular surf location since the Gotcha Pro back in the early ’80s. Instead of a traditional purse prize, the teams will compete for each other’s surfboards used in the competition (similar to racing for pink slips) and, of course, the winning team will earn the ultimate surfing bragging rights.